A Family Christmas
by An Eleanor Jane
Summary: The turkey's in the oven, the the CHristmas songs are on the radio and her son is finally safe (for a little while at least). So when a meddling goddess turns up at Sally's front door, she is not going to lose her family Christmas. A short, fluffy Christmas one shot.


**This is just a cute little one shot I wrote last night to get me into the Christmas spirit. Disclaimer: these characters are not mine, though the plot is. Enjoy, please please please leave a review if you liked it, and merry Christmas.**

Sally smiled to herself as she stirred the cookie mixture, pouring in a few more drops of food blue food colouring as she went. The cookies weren't exactly a traditional Christmas desert, but she had made blue cookies on Christmas day since Percy had been born and she wasn't about to break the tradition now. Her son had just left, announcing that he and Annabeth were in charge of buying the turkey. Hopefully Annabeth would restrain him, but she wouldn't be surprised if he returned clutching New York's largest Christmas turkey. She chuckled to herself, only to be interrupted by the knocking on the door. Frowning, the straightened her apron and wracked her brain to try to remember if anyone had announced visiting her on Christmas Eve. Then she saw the white light coming from the other side of the door, and her suspicions were answered.

She briskly opened the door, nodding her head at the goddess opposite her. Her features were beautiful, perfectly symmetrical and glowing. However, the lines of her face were sharp as if chiselled from stone, reminding Sally slightly of a wolf. She was wearing a white toga and plain sandals, her hair knotted on top of her head as the goddess towered over the mortal. "Sally, I came to ask you a question." She slid past her, striding into the centre of the small sitting room in the centre of the apartment. She raised an eyebrow at the overflowing tree and the small pile of presents, almost deigning to sit down on the sitting chain that Percy and Annabeth had curled up on just a day earlier but deciding against it. Sally was suddenly filed with anger, this goddess that had caused her and her family so much harm and pain over the years stood in her apartment and daring to look around like it was beneath her.

"Queen Hera, what is your question?" She tried to keep her voice calm, though she had unwittingly balled her hands into fists.

"I have come to ask," She trailed a finger over an old clay fish that Percy had painted for her when he was just six years old before continuing, "A Cyclops in Florida decided to destroy one of my temples, trampling right through it and thinking he can get away with that sign of disrespect." She curled her lip, her oval eyes narrowing dangerously. "You will tell me where Perseus and Annabeth are, so they can track him down and teach him a lesson on my behalf. They might not listen to me, but they'll definitely listen to you."

Sally raised an eyebrow, trying to think of words that could possibly get across all the emotions rushing through her head at that moment. "I see. How long would the quest take?"

"Oh, definitely no more than two weeks. Unless one of them is captured, in which case, a month of two."

"It's Christmas Eve." The cookie dough lay forgotten on the kitchen counter, as Sally took a deep breath. "They're not going anywhere."

Hera's eyes narrowed dangerously, turning their piercing gaze on the woman standing opposite her. "You would be wise not to treat me with disrespect, Ms," she paused, her lips curling into a smirk, 'Ugliano."

And Sally did understand that angering a goddess wasn't a good idea, but two decades of injustice and worry and pain were all building up in her throat and she felt like if she didn't let them out she would suffocate. "My son and his girlfriend are my family, and they will be spending Christmas with me, not battling some hideous Cyclops in another state. I have lost enough Christmas's to quests like that, and I can't lose this one. You're the goddess of family and motherhood Queen Hera, surely you understand how important it is that we celebrate this as a family." The goddess' eyes hardened even more, taking a threatening step towards Sally

"Do you suggest that I let this Cyclops get away with his horrific crimes? Do you suggest that I should allow this kind of disrespect?" She kept getting closer, looming over Sally. Her eyes were sparkling ferociously, but Sally wasn't willing to back down.

"Of course not. But can't you find another demigod to help you, just this time?"

"So tell me, what makes Perseus and Annabeth more entitled to their Christmas than any other demigod?" The smug expression on Hera's face made Sally's hands start to itch to upend the cookie dough mix on the other's head.

"Well, neither have had too many happy Christmas's. You know about how Annabeth grew up, I doubt she's had a real family Christmas for years. And I want to give her that. I want to give her a perfect Christmas where she feels safe and happy, like she deserves."

"And for Percy, well, I love my son so much. I treasure very single day I spend with him, we both know that demigod life spans are," She choked on the words, refusing to let herself show weakness in front of Queen Hera. "And I need to make up for some of the Christmas's he had as a small child. When Gabe Ugliano – by the way, I go by Sally Jackson, not that horrible man's name – lived with us, he used to drink. When he drank he got violent, and he would shout and scream and try to hurt both me and Perce. One Christmas day I found him sat on the fire exit, crying and bleeding in the snow." Now the tears were sliding down her face, and she had to hurriedly wipe them away. "I owe him a Christmas day or two, you know? He needs a day that he can just be happy and safe, a day he can spend with his family."

She risked a glance at the goddess, but Hera had an unreadable look on her face. Then she turned, striding out the door. When she reached the corridor she said, without turning round, "Enjoy your Christmas, Sally Jackson."

Then she disappeared in a flash of light, and Sally went to close the door. She shook her head, trying her tears on her apron and carrying on with the cookie dough. A moment later a key clicked in the lock, the door pushed open a moment later. Annabeth appeared, hugging her immediately. "Sally, I tried to stop him, I really did." She sighed hugging her back.

"It's fine, I knew it would happen. It's Percy, you didn't have a chance." They giggled, and as if on cue, Percy stepped in holding the largest turkey Sally had ever seen. He placed it down on the table, coming over and wrapping them both in his hands. He kissed her forehead lightly, hopping up onto the counter.

"So, anything happen when we were gone?"  
"Oh no, nothing important anyway."


End file.
